Objective: The wider introduction of air quality monitoring in Romanian hospitals is essential for compliance with international standards of air quality. Effective monitoring enables rapid and targeted preventive interventions, particularly during infectious disease outbreaks.
Methods: The study was conducted in the operating rooms of the Gynecology Clinic and Pediatric Surgery and Orthopedics Clinic of the Mureș County Emergency Clinical Hospital between March and July 2025. Air sampling was performed using the Spin Air v2 device (IUL, Barcelona, Spain), which filtered 100 liters of air per minute, and the samples were then cultured on blood agar. Samples exceeding 300 colony-forming units per cubic meter were classified as “unsuitable.” Statistical analyses were performed using JASP software (v0.19.3), Wilcoxon’s signed-rank test and chi-square test (p<0.05).
Results: A total of 41 samples were collected, 20 from the Gynecology Clinic and 21 from the Pediatric Surgery and Orthopedics Clinic. Fifteen samples were found to be unsatisfactory, nine of which were from the Gynecology Clinic. No significant difference was observed between the two clinics, chi-square test (p=0.173).
Conclusion: This study found a significant proportion of inadequate air quality in operating rooms. These results demonstrate the need for active air quality monitoring to reduce the risk of developing potential hospital-acquired infections.